OMAHA, Neb. -- An aardvark calf born on July 12 was shown to Omaha news media Thursday morning, marking the first time the general public got to see the nocturnal animal that is rarely found in captivity.

The calf, whose sex is not yet known, was born at the Henry Doorly Zoo to parents Annie and Alvin. The parents can be seen in the zoo's Kingdom of the Night exhibit, reported television station KETV in Omaha.

The wrinkled-skin insectivore showed a determined yet at times off-balanced walk while exploring its surroundings in front of reporters and cameras.

With its thick, grayish-pink skin, the 5-pound calf looked more like a small dinosaur with an oversized snout and ears.

The calf's mother has largely neglected it, prompting zoo workers to hand-raise the calf and feed it a modified milk formula high in protein and fat. The calf has roughly doubled its weight in two weeks, Armstrong said. As an adult, the calf will reach a weight of between 100 and 150 pounds.

Armstrong said mothers have often been known to be inattentive to their calves while in artificial environments, a phenomenon not fully understood by animal experts.

Aardvarks are stubborn, said Doug Armstrong, the zoo's director of animal health. The animals will decide on a destination and then go there.

"They're like bulldozers," Armstrong said. "They're very hard to control."

Aardvarks are aggressive diggers, and this could be seen by the calf's claws, which are similar to hooves, Armstrong said. Indeed, the insectivore has an evolutionary relationship more closely linked to hoofed animals, like antelope and cattle.